Rudolph Blankenburg

Rudolph Blankenburg (16 February 1843-12 April 1918) was Mayor of Philadelphia (D) from 1911 to 1916, succeeding John E. Reyburn and preceding Thomas B. Smith.

Biography
Rudolph Blankenburg was born in Hillentrup, Lippe-Detmold in 1843, and he emigrated to the United States in 1865 and became a member of the Quakers and a successful businessman, comfortably retiring in 1909. He was elected county commissioner of Philadelphia in 1905, serving until 1909. Committed to progressive reform, he ran for Mayor in 1910 as a "Keystone" Democrat, and he established a meritocracy and fought Republican corruption in the city. He died in 1918.